Sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber

ABSTRACT

The sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber includes a chamber with reflective liner, through which inhaled and exhaled air passes. The reflective chamber is also referred to as a sterilization chamber. Using a reflective chamber ensures each photon of UVC light has a long life, thus dissipating slowly. Increasing the life of the UVC photons decreases the quantity of photons that must be created. Thus, less power is required to achieve the sterilization. Sterilization is defined as a 6-log reduction (99.9999%) of various microbes including viruses, bacteria, and spores. The reflective chamber is made reflective using an UVC internal reflective surface. This surface is preferably formed from ePTFE, or other equivalently UVC reflective material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to:

-   -   U.S. Patent Application 62/985,155, filed Mar. 4, 2020, titled        UVC Anti-microbial mask and modules;    -   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/898,679, filed Jun. 11,        2020, titled UVC anti-microbial breathing sterilizing modules,        masks, and devices; and    -   PCT Application PCT/US20/52495, filed Sep. 24, 2020, titled UVC        anti-microbial breathing sterilizing modules, masks, and        devices.

FIELD

This invention relates to the field of air sterilization and moreparticularly to a portable device for sterilizing air.

BACKGROUND

Sanitizing air is critical to preventing the spread of airbornediseases.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of sterilizing both airthat a user will inhale, and air a user has exhaled. By sanitizing bothair streams, the user avoids infection from surrounding air, andsurrounding third-parties avoid contracting airborne diseases from theuser.

Ideally such a sterilizing device is portable, allowing a user to wearit in any setting, from a hospital to a grocery store.

But requiring sterilization of both incoming and outgoing air increasesthe power requirements for a portable unit.

What is needed is a means of increasing the efficiency of a portable airsterilization device to decrease its power requirements, thus making aportable unit practical.

SUMMARY

The sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber includes a chamberwith reflective liner, through which inhaled and exhaled air passes. Thereflective chamber is also referred to as a sterilization chamber.

Using a reflective chamber ensures each photon of UVC light has a longlife, thus dissipating slowly. Increasing the life of the UVC photonsdecreases the quantity of photons that must be created. Thus, less poweris required to achieve the sterilization.

Sterilization is defined as a 6-log reduction (99.9999%) of variousmicrobes including viruses, bacteria, and spores.

The reflective chamber is made reflective using a UVC internalreflective surface. This surface is preferably formed from ePTFE, orother equivalently UVC reflective material.

The use of ePTFE is ideal because it is 95% reflective in the frequencyof UVC light. Thus, a single UVC photon can bounce twelve times beforedissipating. As compared to a surface with no reflectivity, only 1/12 asmuch UVC light is needed to accomplish the same level of UVCconcentration.

Other materials, such as aluminum, have only a 70% reflectance at best,thus losing 30% of the UVC energy at each bounce.

With the UVC light providing sterilization, the remaining requirementfor air cleaning is particle filtration. This is accomplished using oneor more filters. For example, pre-filters for large dust particles andaerosols. Air may also be filtered through stainless-steel cup filtersthat remove larger particles.

While filtration is important, it creates resistance to airflow. If thisresistance is too high, such that the user perceives the resistance asan inability to breathe, it may result in panic and removal of the mask.

The solution is to create positive air pressure, compensating for theresistance of the filter.

In a first embodiment, the airflow is only in one direction, thuspermitting a single fan to consistently push at the inlet, or pull atthe outlet. But a fan that covers the entire inlet can create problemsgiven the sinusoidal action of breathing. A fan that runs at aconsistent speed will at times provides too much air, and too little atother times. Allowing the fan to increase and decrease speed can createunwanted noise.

Thus, a mechanical solution is ideal. In particular, discharging the fanthrough a perforated baffle. The holes, or perforations, in the baffleallow excess air to exit the system, or additional air to be drawn in.While fan may not keep up with peak air intake, it creates positivepressure and thus counteracts the resistance of the filter and increasesuser comfort.

As an alternative to a fan, the device may use the flow of warm air fromthe heatsink to create negative pressure at the air outlet. This helpsto draw air out, thus helping the user to overcome the resistance of thefilters. In summary, air that is warmed by the heatsink—the heat createdby the device's electronics—is passed across the exhaust, pulling airout of the device.

Returning to sterilization, to further increase the effectiveness of UVClight sterilization, sonic agitation is optionally added to preventshadowing. Shadowing occurs when a particle in the airstream shields, orblocks, particles that are behind it, or in its shadow.

Creating a longitudinal wave within the sterilization chamber movesparticles back and forth, thus shifting particles with respect to eachother, thereby allowing light to access all of the airstream. Theparticles do not move down the tube with the wave—the wave does notcreate flow—rather the particles oscillate back and forth about theirindividual equilibrium positions.

The preferred frequency range is 1 hz to 5 Ghz.

The preferred embodiment uses a single sonic oscillator, but the use ofmultiple sonic oscillators is anticipated.

If using paired, opposing sonic oscillators, the sonic oscillators mustpulse in the same direction to create matching action (e.g., both left,then both right, then both left).

To further reduce the UVC light quantity, and to prevent the escape ofUVC light, the ends of the sterilization chamber are constructed as UVCtrapping exits. Rather than escaping, any UVC light is either reflectedback into the chamber or absorbed.

The action of trapping UVC light is accomplished by a mix of geometryand materials.

The geometry includes steep exit angles that prevent UVC photons frompassing straight out. If photons bounce into the exit passage, they mayencounter radial-angle deflectors that push photons back into thechamber.

If the photons avoid reflection, they will instead be absorbed by UVCabsorbing material.

As an additional means of managing power consumption, the sterilizationmask with UVC reflective chamber can adjust the UVC intensity isdepending on the user's breathing intensity and/or pattern.

Since airflow varies with both inhale and exhale, a continuous flux UVCsystem would need to irradiate enough UVC flux to achieve a 6-logreduction at the peak airflow rate. It is inefficient to sterilize atsuch an intensity when the air is static, such as between breaths, orduring low-flow periods as breath increases or decreases. When thedevice is battery-powered, the result of over-consumption is reducedbattery life and excessive heat production.

Using an airflow sensor, the device detects airflow, adjusting UVC fluxto achieve sterilizing but without excess power consumption. If a user'sbreathing rate exceeds sterilization capacity, an alarm sounds to alertthe user that the air may not be fully sterilized.

As a practical matter, communicating with a mask user is difficult.Covering the nose and mouth muffles sounds, and distorts speech. Maskwearers may remove or lift their mask to speak, eliminating the benefitsof wearing a mask.

Simply placing a microphone inside the mask is a poor solution, themicrophone capturing reverberations and echoes, making the userdifficult to understand.

To solve this problem, a thru-hole is created through the mask. Amembrane is placed across the hole, the membrane able to pass vibrationswithout compromising the sealed nature of the mask.

The membrane material is selected to readily vibrate at the frequenciesof human speech, but to dampen or absorb lower-frequency vibrations. Themembrane also dampens low-amplitude vibrations. The result is thatreverberations and echoes lack the strength to pass through themembrane, thus cleaning up the transmission of speech.

Following the membrane is a tube or channel of sound-absorbing foam, atthe end of which is placed a sound-absorbing microphone. The microphoneis preferably unidirectional to minimize sound picked up from theoperation of the sterilization module.

The microphone passes a signal to an amplifier, then an equalizer, andfinally to an external speaker.

In an alternative embodiment of the sterilization mask with UVCreflective chamber, the reflective chamber is divided to createunidirectional air flow. This arrangement is an alternative to abidirectional system, where inhaled and exhaled air pass back and forththrough a single chamber. Bidirectional systems have the drawback offailing to fully exhaust all exhaled air, resulting in the nextinhalation being warmer and with increased carbon dioxide.

But using two UVC chambers increases the size of a device, as well ascomplexity. Thus, this problem is best solved by using a single UVCchamber with two airways. Valves control the flow direction of the air,keeping the flow unidirectional. The two flow paths are separated by aUVC-transparent film, allowing a single set of UVC emitters to sterilizetwo separate flow paths.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill inthe art by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a first isometric view of the sterilization mask withUVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 2 illustrates a second isometric view of the sterilization moduleof the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 3 illustrates a rear isometric view of the sterilization module ofthe sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 4 illustrates an interior view of the sterilization module of thesterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cutaway view of the rear of the sterilizationmodule of the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cutaway view of the front of the sterilizationmodule of the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 7 illustrates a lower cutaway view of the sterilization module ofthe sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 8 illustrates an upper cutaway view of the sterilization module ofthe sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic view of the reflective chamber, incross-section, of the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic view of an end, or UVC absorbingchamber, of the reflective chamber, of the sterilization mask with UVCreflective chamber.

FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic view of a second embodiment of thereflective chamber, of the sterilization mask with UVC reflectivechamber.

FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic view of the sonic agitator of thesterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 13 illustrates a schematic view of the audio system of thesterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic view of the positive-pressure generatorand waste heat pressure generation system of the sterilization mask withUVC reflective chamber.

FIG. 15 illustrates a schematic view of the pressure switch system ofthe sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description,the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, a first isometric view of the sterilization maskwith UVC reflective chamber is shown.

The sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber 1 is shown formedfrom primary components of the flexible mask 10 and the sterilizationmodule 20.

Also shown is speaker 144, where the user's voice is emitted.

Referring to FIG. 2, a second isometric view of the sterilization moduleof the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber is shown.

The sterilization module 20 includes a housing 22 that protects theinterior components.

Indicator light 12 activates to show that the sterilization mask withUVC reflective chamber 1 is operating.

Excess heat from operation is exhausted through warm air outlet 128.

Referring to FIG. 3, a rear isometric view of the sterilization moduleof the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber is shown.

As the user breathes in, the sterilization module 20 takes in air 2 viathe atmospheric inlet/outlet 30, which is sterilized and passed to theuser through the mask inlet/outlet 32. The reverse occurs as the userbreathes out.

Also shown the exterior of audio components 130, including membrane 136and hole 138.

Referring to FIG. 4, an interior view of the sterilization module of thesterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber is shown.

The interior of the sterilization module 20 includes first filter 90held within first filter holder 92, and second filter 94 held withinsecond filter holder 96.

The filters 90/94 act to prefilter incoming air whether incoming fromthe atmosphere or from within the mask, i.e., from the user'sexhalations.

Stainless steel screens 52 on each end of the reflective chamber 60further filter the air 2. The presence of the stainless-steel screens 52is monitored by the screen monitoring switches 54, which trigger analarm if a screen 52 is missing.

After filtering, air 2 passes through the reflective chamber 60 whereinit is sterilized.

A heat sink 122 rests in contact with the aluminum UVC circuit board124, drawing heat away. A heat sink fan 123 brings in outside air tocool the heat sink 122.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, cutaway views of the rear and front of thesterilization module of the sterilization mask with UVC reflectivechamber are shown.

The sterilization module 20 is shown with reflective chamber 60, withinwhich are the UVC emitters 70 that emit light against the UVC reflectiveinterior surface 72.

The reflective chamber 60 ends in UVC trapping exits 74 that prevent theescape of UVC light.

A stainless-steel screen 52 sits at each end of the reflective chamber60, filtering any air 2 entering the reflective chamber 60.

Also shown are the heat sink 122, cooled by air 2 passing into thecooling air inlet 126, and out the warm air outlet 128.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a lower cutaway view and an upper cutawayview of the sterilization module of the sterilization mask with UVCreflective chamber are shown.

Air 2 follows the inhalation flow 4 during a user's inhalation, andexhalation flow 6 during an exhalation.

Both flows 4/6 pass through the first filter 90, stainless steel screen52, reflective chamber 60, stainless steel screen 52, and second filter94, passing through the elements in opposing directions.

The sonic agitator 110 is also visible, placed at one end of thereflective chamber 60. Alternative placement of the sonic agitator 110is anticipated, so long as it may still move the air within thereflective chamber 60.

Referring to FIG. 9, a schematic view of the reflective chamber, incross-section, of the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber isshown.

The reflective chamber 60 includes one or more UVC emitters 70 that emitphotons 82.

The photons 82 bounce inside the reflective chamber 60, reflected by theUVC reflective interior surface 72. The result of the highly-reflectiveUVC reflective interior surface 72 is that the photons 82 have a longlife, and thus can sterilize larger volumes of air, thus lowering powerconsumption of the UVC emitters 70.

Referring to FIG. 10, a schematic view of an end of the reflectivechamber, of the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber is shown.

The UVC trapping exit 74 is shown with multiple features to prevent theescape of photons 82.

As photons 82 bounce around the reflective chamber 60, reflected by theUVC reflective interior surface 72, they reach the UVC trapping exit 74.

The centrally-mounted stainless steel screen 52 leaves space around theperimeter for air to exit. By only allowing a perimeter exit, thephotons 82 must have a high angle to exit, making reflecting andabsorbing an easier task than with an open-ended chamber.

Photons 82 may contact the UVC reflective exit surface 76, bouncing backinto the reflective chamber 60.

Or photons 82 may contact the UVC exit reflector 84, which is set atangle to bounce the photons 82 back into the reflective chamber 60.

If photons 82 make it past the reflective features, they contact the UVCabsorbent material 80 that consumes UVC light, preventing an exit.

Referring to FIG. 11, a schematic view of a second embodiment of thereflective chamber, of the sterilization mask with UVC reflectivechamber is shown.

The second embodiment includes two parallel flow paths for air through asingle reflective chamber 60. This permits separate sterilization ofincoming and outgoing air, without the requirement of two separatechambers.

Rather, a single chamber dividing wall 62 is placed across thereflective chamber 60, creating inhalation flow 4 and exhalation flow 6.

Air 2 enters from the atmosphere at the atmospheric inlet/outlet 30,entering the mask at the mask inlet/outlet 32, and then returning, butthrough the second half of the reflective chamber 60.

The inhalation valve 40 and exhalation valve 42 close during inhalationand exhalation respectively, ensuring air flows in the correctdirection.

Incoming air passes through a prefilter element 50 to catch anyparticulates.

The flow meters 44 monitor inhalation flow 4 and exhalation flow 6, thevolume of flow determining the intensity of the UVC emitters 70.

Also shown are the UVC emitters 70, UVC reflective interior surface 72,and stainless-steel screens 52.

Referring to FIG. 12, a schematic view of the sonic agitator of thesterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber is shown.

The one or more sonic agitators 110 sit at one or both ends of thereflective chamber 60. The sonic agitators 110 move the air 2 via alongitudinally-moving low-pressure zones 112 and high-pressure zones114, causing any particles in the air 2 to move back and forth. Theresult is that a particle that may shadow a particle behind itself ismoved to the side, thus allowing UVC light to reach the shadowedparticle. The result is increased effectiveness of the sterilization,again reducing power requirements.

Referring to FIG. 13, a schematic view of the audio system of thesterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber is shown.

The sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber 1 optionally includesaudio components 130 to allow the user to more readily communicate whiletheir mouth is covered.

Sound from a user vibrates a membrane 136, placed across a hole 138.Only high-amplitude vibrations are passed through the membrane 136,eliminating echoes. Errant soundwaves are absorbed by a microphone foamsurround 134. The sound then reaches the microphone 132, after which itis passed to an amplifier 140, equalizer 142, and finally to a speaker144. The speaker 144 directs sound toward the outside of thesterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber 1, toward third-parties.

Referring to FIG. 14, a schematic view of the waste heat pressuregeneration system of the sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamberis shown.

The sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber 1 is shown withflexible mask 10.

With respect to inhalation assistance, an inhalation assist fan 45 isplaced at the atmospheric inlet 30, the inhalation assist fan 45exhausting through a perforated baffle 46. The inhalation assist fan 45only partially covers the holes of the perforated baffle 46, creating aflow-by pathway 47 around the inhalation assist fan. The result is thatif the user's inhalation demands more air than the inhalation assist fan45 can provide, additional air 2 can bypass the fan. Thus, a fan that issmaller than the maximum inhalation flow may be used, reducing fan sizeand cost.

With respect to exhalation assistance, in this embodiment the heat fromthe heat sink 122 and heat sink fan 123 are used to create a warm airflow 129 that passes to a warm air outlet 128 placed near the maskoutlet 32.

The warm air flow 129 creates a low-pressure vacuum, helping to drawexhalation flow 6 outward, lowering the effort required for breathing.

Referring to FIG. 15, a schematic view of the pressure switch system ofthe sterilization mask with UVC reflective chamber is shown.

The pressure switch system monitors pressure to extrapolate flow, andthus manage UVC intensity.

A first air pressure sensor 150 measures atmospheric pressure, and asecond air pressure sensor 152 monitors pressure within thesterilization module 20, but outside of the reflective chamber 60. Asthe pressure of the second air pressure sensor 152 rises above, andfalls below, the steady atmospheric pressure measured by the first airpressure sensor 150, the system can extrapolate whether the user isbreathing in, breathing out, or pausing between breaths. The system canthen adjust UVC intensity based on this data.

Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above suchthat they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially thesame way for achieving substantially the same result.

It is believed that the system and method as described and many of itsattendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. Itis also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may bemade in the form, construction, and arrangement of the componentsthereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention orwithout sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form hereinbefore described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodimentthereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass andinclude such changes.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable air sterilization device for a user,the device passing inhaled air and exhaled air through a commonsterilization chamber, the device comprising: a chamber; the chamberincluding a mask connection point and an atmospheric connection point;the inhaled air and the exhaled air passing in and out of the chambervia the mask connection point; atmospheric air passing in and out of thechamber via the atmospheric connection point; a UVC reflective interiorsurface lining an inside of the chamber; the UVC reflective interiorsurface having reflectivity of 90% or more with respect to UVC light;one or more UVC light sources creating UVC light within the chamber; theUVC light bouncing around the inside of the chamber by reflecting offthe UVC reflective interior surface, thereby sterilizing the inhaled airand the exhaled air; whereby the portable air sterilization device isable to efficiently sterilize air by maximizing battery life of the UVClight and maximizing life of the UVC light and its photons.
 2. Theportable air sterilization device of claim 1, wherein the UVC reflectiveinterior surface is expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (“ePTFE”).
 3. Theportable air sterilization device of claim 1, further comprising: a UVCtrapping exit that includes: a UVC reflective exit surface orientedperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the chamber; one or more UVCexit reflectors; the one or more UVC exit reflectors angled with respectto the chamber, thus acting to reflect UVC light back into the chamber;a UVC-absorbing material within the UVC trapping exit, the UVC-absorbingmaterial absorbing UVC light that bypasses the UVC reflective exitsurface; whereby the UVC trapping exit prevents escape of UVC lightoutside of the chamber.
 4. The portable air sterilization device ofclaim 1, further comprising: a sonic agitator; the sonic agitator placedat one end of the chamber; the sonic agitator vibrating to create alongitudinal wave within inhaled air and exhaled air inside of thechamber; whereby the longitudinal wave moves particles within theinhaled air and exhaled air to increase effectiveness of UVC light forsterilization.
 5. The portable air sterilization device of claim 4,further comprising: a UVC trapping exit that includes: a UVC reflectiveexit surface oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of thechamber; one or more UVC exit reflectors; the one or more UVC exitreflectors angled with respect to the chamber, thus acting to reflectUVC light back into the chamber; a UVC-absorbing material within the UVCtrapping exit, the UVC-absorbing material absorbing UVC light thatbypasses the UVC reflective exit surface; whereby the UVC trapping exitprevents escape of UVC light outside of the chamber.
 6. The portable airsterilization device of claim 1, further comprising: a through-maskaudio communication system that includes: a microphone placed within afoam surround; a membrane that separates the inhaled and exhaled airfrom the microphone, sound passing through the membrane; the membraneplaced across a hole; a speaker to carry sound to third-parties; wherebythe user can speak, the sound carried through the membrane, to themicrophone, processed, and then output through the speaker, allowing theuser to communicate with third-parties.
 7. The portable airsterilization device of claim 1, further comprising: a chamber dividingwall that separates the chamber into an inhalation flow path and anexhalation flow path; the chamber dividing wall being transparent to UVClight, thus allowing the one or more UVC light sources to sanitize boththe inhaled air and the exhaled air; whereby a single chamber cansterilize two flow paths without requiring additional UVC light sources.8. A portable, wearable, UVC sterilizing mask comprising: asterilization chamber; the sterilization chamber including an innerwall; air passing through the sterilization chamber in a firstdirection, and a second direction; the second direction opposing thefirst direction; a UVC reflective material applied to the inner wall;one or more UVC emitters radiating UVC light into the sterilizationchamber; the UVC light reflective off the UVC reflective material,thereby increasing a dwell time of the UVC light within thesterilization chamber; the one or more UVC emitters having an intensity;the intensity automatically adjusted based on an airflow through thesterilization chamber, with increased airflow increasing intensity, anddecreased airflow decreasing intensity; whereby the portable, wearable,UVC sterilizing mask minimizes power use while sterilizing both incomingand outgoing air.
 9. The portable, wearable, UVC sterilizing mask ofclaim 8, wherein the UVC reflective material is expandedpolytetrafluoroethylene (“ePTFE”).
 10. The portable, wearable, UVCsterilizing mask of claim 8, further comprising: a UVC trapping exitthat includes: a UVC reflective exit surface oriented perpendicular to alongitudinal axis of the sterilization chamber; one or more UVC exitreflectors; the one or more UVC exit reflectors angled with respect tothe chamber, thus acting to reflect UVC light back into the chamber; aUVC-absorbing material within the UVC trapping exit, the UVC-absorbingmaterial absorbing UVC light that bypasses the UVC reflective exitsurface; whereby the UVC trapping exit prevents escape of UVC lightoutside of the chamber.
 11. The portable, wearable, UVC sterilizing maskof claim 8, further comprising: a sonic agitator; the sonic agitatorplaced at one end of the sterilization chamber; the sonic agitatorvibrating to create a longitudinal wave within inhaled air and exhaledair inside of the chamber; whereby the longitudinal wave moves particleswithin the inhaled air and exhaled air to increase effectiveness of UVClight for sterilization.
 12. The portable, wearable, UVC sterilizingmask of claim 11, further comprising: a UVC trapping exit that includes:a UVC reflective exit surface oriented perpendicular to a longitudinalaxis of the sterilization chamber; one or more UVC exit reflectors; theone or more UVC exit reflectors angled with respect to the chamber, thusacting to reflect UVC light back into the chamber; a UVC-absorbingmaterial within the UVC trapping exit, the UVC-absorbing materialabsorbing UVC light that bypasses the UVC reflective exit surface;whereby the UVC trapping exit prevents escape of UVC light outside ofthe chamber.
 13. The portable, wearable, UVC sterilizing mask of claim8, further comprising: a through-mask audio communication system thatincludes: a microphone placed within a foam surround; a membrane thatseparates inhaled and exhaled air from the microphone, sound passingthrough the membrane; the membrane placed across a hole; a speaker tocarry sound to third-parties; whereby a user can speak, the soundcarried through the membrane, to the microphone, processed, and thenoutput through the speaker, allowing the user to communicate withthird-parties.
 14. The portable, wearable, UVC sterilizing mask of claim8, further comprising: a chamber dividing wall that separates thesterilization chamber into an inhalation flow path and an exhalationflow path; the chamber dividing wall being transparent to UVC light,thus allowing the one or more UVC emitters to sanitize both inhaled airand exhaled air; whereby a single chamber can sterilize two flow pathswithout requiring additional UVC light sources.